opportunities to approach these subjects throughout the school year. Sometimes it takes more cajoling than a simple “How was your day?” Learning signs of bullying and how to keep open lines of communication between you and your kids can increase the likelihood that they will be willing to share what is going on in their lives. Circle your wagons: As our kids get older and move up the educational ranks, many parents experience difficulty in connecting with other families at their kids’ schools. Parents’ lives become busier and, as our children require less immediate attention there is often less opportunity for engagement with our kids’ classrooms. This can weaken relationships among and between parents and school communities, and lack of communication can affect the willingness to partner to resolve delicate issues that children are confronted with. If bullying is something you feel is happening to your child, reach out to trusted resources for support. If you do not have a support system, look to connect with your school’s administration or a teacher in your child’s
Just as we learn as new parents to assess whether or not a child is thriving, it is essential to check in on how our children are doing socially.
and more than 70% of kids and teachers report witnessing it. This is a systemic problem. Hopefully, we can address this issue by creating and maintaining strong community webs of support in our schools, neighborhoods, and homes, encouraging empathy and addressing unearned privilege. Let’s agree to talk and listen to each other when we are faced with these horrible situations. Let’s also work on building strong community relationships. I know I will be working on mine.
classroom. They may be able to open the channels to working with the family of the suspected bully. There are also vast online resources, such as stopbullying.gov and pacer. org. Remember, you are not alone. According to the Society for the Positive Care of Children, nearly 30% of kids report being bullied between sixth and 12th grades,
Samantha Huggins is a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, doula trainer, CBC, parent and curriculum builder. As a founding member of Carriage House Birth, Samantha works vigilantly to redefine doula work and contemporary parenting. She oversees CHB Education focusing primarily on curriculum building, elevating doula professionalism, and training doulas. Samantha is deeply committed to this work and creating a model of care that is sustainable and works for all people. Samantha is the mother of two, wife to one and friend to many.
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